New LFA Compendium Brings Together Critical Elements of Successful Schools

Educators know what works in successful public schools. For the first time, the 12 members of the Learning First Alliance have pulled together their best practices and research to state these elements and help policymakers, school leaders, and the public understand why some schools succeed and how they do it.
 
“The Elements of Success: 10 Million Speak on Schools That Work” was released this week with a panel discussion on the elements and how these convey in local schools and communities.
 
Successful schools are fulfilling what many consider the purpose of education: developing young people’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes so that they graduate from high school ready for college, career, and citizenship. The compendium identifies six elements common to all successful schools, including:

• Focus on the Total Child: Supporting each child’s needs, inside and outside the classroom, to help them become an effective, empowered learner.
• Commitment to Equity and Access: Ensuring the needs of all student populations are met.
• Family and Community Engagement: Effectively engaging families and communities in support of students.
• Distributed Leadership: Defining leadership broadly and sharing decision making.
• Strong, Supported Teaching Force and Staff: Staffing schools with educators who are well-educated, well-prepared, and well-supported, who meet high standards of practice and providing continuous learning and support.
• Relationship-Oriented School Climate: Creating a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility among staff and students and with families and communities. These schools are safe, welcoming, and respectful to all.

U.S Holds Students to Higher Standards in Assessments, Report Finds 

A major new analysis sheds light on common school accountability benchmarks in the United States. How High the Bar? by the National Superintendent’s Roundtable shatters the idea that the U.S. is lackluster and falling behind by re-evaluating the international data and test scores and taking a close look at the bars set to measure achievement.  Read LFA Executive Director Richard Long's analysis on the findings.

"Predicting" the Future for Ed Tech

Making predictions--especially related to technology--is a tricky business, but CoSN's CEO Keith Krueger has ideas for meaningful conversations that should start with the question, "What should learning look like today?" Read his blog for more insights, and be sure to check out some of LFA's other top blogs of 2017.